In The Dark
by The Winged Wonder
Summary: Fang's on a search to find mutant kids like him to help him save the world. What happens when a mysterious girl shows up, claiming to know everything about him? How far will Fang go to get rid of her? Reviews are loved and appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey peoples! What's up? This is my second MR story, and I hope it turns out good. Enjoy!**

"Is Subject Fifty-three ready?" The head of information clicked from one page to the other, her eyes scanning over the words, trying to find the right document.

The tech opened up a new page.

"Subject Two posted this on his blog about three month ago. Assuming that this is really what he is doing, then yes, Subject Fifty-three is ready."

"Excellent," the head replied, her eyes still stuck on that one sentence.

_The world is changing and I need your help._

She smiled. Everything was going exactly the way they had planned—except for that slight malfunction with Subject Twenty-two. **(I'm not going to remind you guys who the subjects are. Grab your copy of Fang and search inside! I don't wanna ruin the story!) **She groaned inwardly. He wasn't doing what he was supposed to do. Obviously there had been a problem, but they would fix it. They always did.

"Put the final touches on Fifty-three and send her out. And keep searching for Twenty-two's problem. The plan won't work without him," the head said sharply. She turned on her heel and left the room.

The tech shook her head. There was no cure for Twenty-two's "problem". He was a human being sharing every human's feelings: love, longing, jealousy, enragement…

The head simply refused to believe that, but she'd find out for herself soon.

The tech slowly got out of her chair and headed to the room that was right next to hers. She slowly opened the door and went in. Dr. O'Ryan was working on the subject.

"Almost done?" she asked, peering closely at the girl.

"Almost," he answered. "I just have to put the chip into her ear, where the gel will disappear, and the chip will find its way to her brain."

"Good."

The tech watched as the doctor inserted a tiny chip covered in gooey white stuff into the subject's left ear.

"All done," the doctor said, rubbing his hands.

The tech pulled out a remote control from her back pocket and pressed on the red button.

The girl's eyes flew open and she stood up.

"Hello Alexandra," the tech said calmly.

**I will upload one chapter every day except for the weekends, hopefully, so you guys won't have to wait long to see what happens next.**

**By the way, I have another story called "So Close". It's an Iggy/Ella romaction that I'm currently working on. I think you guys'll like it. You can find it under my stories in my profile!  
Any questions, advice, criticism, whatever?**

**Go to my profile. It has all of my contact information.**

**R&R please!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I hope you guys will like this story. The idea came to me in the middle of the night when I was sleeping, and I got up, opened my laptop, and wrote it. **

"Thanks," I said to the fat guy at the counter as he handed me my bags. I glanced this way and that, keeping my head down so the surveillance cameras wouldn't be able to capture my face on-screen.

"Mmhmm," he muttered, not even giving me another look as another customer arrived.

I casually slipped out of the market, ran to the back, where they kept the trash cans, and ripped open a bag of chips. I moaned as I stuffed them in my mouth, not even bothering to breathe.

It had been three days since I'd eaten. Three _freakin'_ days. I'd been too busy spying on people.

Yes, you heard right. I, Fang, had been spying on people. Why, you ask?

Well, when I sent out that mutant call, I knew there were going to be a lot of fakes, so I had to inspect each address before I could talk to these so-called "altered kids."

Turns out I was right. There had been exactly 378 false alarms. I had spied on that much people. It made me feel like a total creep. And the bummer was that I hadn't found any real mutants so far. But I wouldn't give up. I didn't give up that easily.

I leaned against an empty trash bin and bit into a Twinkie. I closed my eyes as I licked the sugary filling. Twinkies were some food of heaven, no doubt about it. When was the last time I had eaten Twinkies? The Twinkie got stuck halfway down my throat as I remembered.

It had been back at our old house. As much as I tried to I had tried to suppress the memory, it rushed back to me in vivid Technicolor.

"_Gazzy, get your hands out of that bag!" Max said as she slapped The Gasman's hand away._

"_Aw, come on Max!" Gaz pleaded. "Just one Snickers bar, or a bag of M&M's, at least."_

_Max sighed. _

"_Fine. But _just one_," she said firmly. _

"_All right!" Iggy yelled._

_Everyone crowded over the bag of junk food. _

"_Remember everyone, this has to last us for three weeks, so everyone gets one. That goes for you too," she said, turning her glance towards Iggy. "Just because you're blind doesn't mean you can't feel how much you've taken." She stared at Iggy. "Put them back."_

_Iggy bashfully took a few Milkyways out of his back pocket and threw them back in the bag. _

_Max looked long and hard at Iggy. He couldn't see it, but he felt her gaze. _

"_All right, all right," he muttered as he took more chocolate and candy out of his other pockets._

_I laughed and took a Twinkie, slowly biting into it so the flavor would last longer._

I shook my head, already feeling _way_ too emotional. I'd tried so hard to erase The Flock from my mind, my heart, but it's simply impossible to forget about your family. I'd tried so hard to be able to say "Max who?" but it just didn't work that way. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't get them out of my head.

Especially Max.

She was my first—and last—love. You can't throw the girl you're madly in love with out on the sidewalk of your mind.

I took a deep breath, trying so hard to clear my head.

Maybe I should go back…

_No_, tough Fang said firmly.

_Why not?_ emotional Fang demanded to know.

_Because this is for the good of all of us—maybe even the world,_ tough Fang replied.

I sighed.

Four months.

That's how long I'd been gone. My inbox was full every single day. They just wouldn't give up.

I always read their e-mails, not being able to resist, and I'd always been on the brink of answering one when I'd remind myself that I'd let something slip and they'd find my whereabouts and try to come after me.

I climbed one of the trash cans and launched myself into the air, spreading my dark wings and closing my eyes as the wind rushed past my ears.

_When in doubt, fly_.

That was my motto.

I circled the air twice, and then took a crumpled piece of paper from my pocket.

_Burlington Café._

Guess it's my next stop.

"Burlington Café it is," I mutter, swooping down.

Let's hope this is something good.

**Second chapter! Yay! Stay tuned if you wanna find out what happens next! New chapter tomorrow. **

**I would love to hear your advice, criticism, ideas, and questions.**

**My contact info is in my profile.**

**I'll send you a virtual hug and give you a shout-out in my next chapter if you R&R!**

**Keep rocking!**

**~Nesibe~**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, own Maximum Ride, or any of its characters (only the ones that I made up are mine). They all belong to James Patterson. **

**Enjoy!**

The director impatiently looked at his watch, then back at the large television screen in front of him, which showed an image of Subject Fifty-three sitting at a table, drumming her fingers and anxiously looking around.

"Where is Subject Two?" he asked sharply.

The tech whirled around from her computer screen.

"I'm tracking him right now, Sir," she said coolly, irritated at the director for being so intolerant. Couldn't he just wait for another minute or two? "The GPS shows that he will arrive shortly. In the meanwhile, I thought I could show you these charts."

The director turned around.

"What are they for?"

"They're Subject Six's charts, Sir. It seems that her Voice has been speaking up more often these last two weeks."

The director's brow furrowed.

"I want you to find out who this 'Voice' is!" he commanded.

The tech mentally rolled her eyes. She wished the director would always be calm and collected, as he was when he talked with Subject One.

"Subject Six shouldn't even have a voice! That wasn't part of the plan!"

"I'll get right on it, Sir," the tech replied, but inside she was thinking "_Yeah, well, not everything can go the way you plan them."_

**TheEightFlockMember asked me on formspring if I have a plot. The truth is: no, I do not have a plot. Heck, I don't even have a clue what the next chapter is going to be about. See, the crazy thing about me is that I don't plan my stories. I just get a simple idea, like: Gazzy implanted a bomb in the girls' room. I won't have anything in mind, like if the girls were in the room when it happened, why Gazzy put it, etc. I'll write this little random idea on a scrap of paper and put it in my "STORY IDEAS" bucket, and when I feel like writing a story, I'll pick one randomly, sit in front of the computer, and let my hands do their thing. **

**Please send me your advice, ideas, criticism, and questions!**

**Keep reading!  
}Nesibe{ **


	4. Chapter 4

I slowly came to a stop as my feet got close to the ground. I'd landed in a deserted alleyway, knowing that it wasn't safe to show your wings around here.

The café came into sight as I rounded the corner, and my eyes scanned the people sitting outside.

There was an old couple, two teenage girls laughing about something while busily texting away on their cell phones, three college guys having a slurping contest, and one girl sitting by herself in a corner, looking around as if expecting somebody.

_She must be it,_ I thought.

I walked up to her table and cleared my throat. She looked up.

"Um, are you—?"

"I'm Alex," she said, holding out her hand.

"Fang," I said, shaking it. I sat down in the chair across from her. She looked to be about fifteen, and had long, silky chocolate brown hair that cascaded down her back and emerald green eyes. She had a snub little nose, arched eyebrows, and her lips were full. She was really pretty, but not half as beautiful as Max. There was something about the way she stared at me that made me feel uncomfortable.

"So," I said, shifting in my seat. "You replied to my call."

"Yeah, I did," she said slowly.

I recollected myself. I never showed uncertainty.

"Well, do you want to tell me what makes you more special than other humans?" I asked.

"Well…" Alex said. "I can fly."

I choked on my own spit. Say what?

"Fly how?" I asked unbelievingly.

"I have wings," she said calmly.

Her three-word sentences were annoying me. Giving abrupt answers was _my_ thing.

"Prove it," I said, just as calmly.

She looked at me and raised an eyebrow.

"Do you really think that this is a good place for that kind of thing?" she asked.

"I never said we were going to do it here," I answered, glaring darkly at her.

I didn't like this girl, not one bit. This was different. She wasn't a nut-job, a secret white coat in disguise, or an enemy, but something about her sent chills down my spine. It wasn't really me-ish to dislike a girl. I usually got along with girls, but as I said, this girl gave me the creeps. She was so _calm,_ so determined. It was as if she already knew what was going to happen.

"Where else can I show you?"

"Follow me."

I hastily got up, not bothering to look back as I slowly walked away from the café. If she came, she came. If she didn't, well too bad for her. I never looked back.

There was a blur of motion and she was suddenly beside me.

"Where to?" she asked nonchalantly.

I inwardly groaned. I had been hoping to have annoyed her, thus getting rid of her forever. Obviously that wasn't the plan.

"All right," I said. "Do it. Just jump off and fly."

"Okay," Alex replied, cocking her head to one side. She was standing on the edge of a mountain. Yes, I'd made her climb a mountain. I could've just made her flown off an empty building, but I'd wanted to see her struggle. Unfortunately, she had climbed the mountain swiftly in a few minutes.

She launched herself into the night air, her head thrown back, her long hair whipping around her. She unfurled her chocolaty brown wings and rose in the air.

_Unbelievable,_ I thought, spell bounded.

_Yeah, it's unbelievable because it's too good to be true. We would've known if there were more like us. She's just a lab experiment like Dylan. She's just a fake, a clone._

It seemed so reasonable for Alex to be one of Dr. Gunther-Hagen's experiments or something like that. But then again, she was nothing like Dylan. Dylan was so…stupid. "Innocent" was the word Nudge would've used, but I wasn't Nudge, and I hated Dylan, so…

Dylan hadn't been rude, had always been curious about something or the other, and he never lied.

Alex was the exact opposite. She was dark, thoughtful, quiet, and daring.

As these weird thoughts were swirling inside my head, Alex landed next to me and smiled.

"Convinced?"

"Yeah, okay, you can fly. That's awesome. I'm gonna go now. It was nice meeting you," I mumbled, turning around, ready to leave.

She held onto my arm.

"You're not going anywhere," she said firmly.

_What the—?_

"Uh, yeah, I am, as a matter of fact," I said, prying her fingers off my arm.

"You have them too," she said slowly.

"Have what?"

"Wings."

Okay, who the _hell_ was this girl, and how did she know all this?

"I'm here to help you on your mission to save the world. I'm your soul mate," she said calmly, as if she could read my mind.

Oh great.

**What do you guys think? Anything I could improve? Well, send me a message, ask me a question, whatever. All my contact information is in my profile.**

**And why don't you R&R while you're at it?**

**Keep reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey! Here's another chapter. Oh, and BlueStripedPolo said that Alex was "just like Max". I disagree. Just because she's tough doesn't make her like Max. She's actually very different from Max. You just have to keep reading to understand. **

The head leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes, smiling slowly to herself. She hoped the director would be as pleased as she was about Fifty-three's rapidness at leaping to action.

She had been designed to be perfect, even more perfect than Twenty-two.

She asked no questions.

She was never taken aback.

There wasn't anything that she had to learn from experience, unlike Twenty-Two.

She was, pretty much, _indestructible._

The head watched the large screen, amused at Subject Two's vital reaction to what Fifty-three had just told him. He was also one of the best, but he had emotions.

Emotions blocked paths, roads not taken yet.

Emotions were sturdy black walls, and there were no was no way to get around them.

She leaned forward as he freed himself of Fifty-three's grasp and got ready to fly off. The head turned, locked eyes with the tech, and gave her the signal.

The tech's green eyes widened.

"_Now?_ Isn't it too soon?"

The head glared frostily at the tech, and she nodded, turning red. Obediently, she turned around and started pressing buttons and pounding on the keys furiously, entering passwords and codes.

The head cupped her chin with her hands. Finally, they would get to see their work of art in action.


	6. Chapter 6

**If you missed it, I'm telling you guys again: one new chapter each day, except for weekends.**

**Disclaimer: whatever. =P**

**Alexandra's P.O.V.**

I wasn't surprised when Fang pulled back from me, his eyes blazing. They were more beautiful up close.

"Leave me alone," he said with his husky voice. "I already have a family and a soul mate, and I _do not_ need your help."

I—_we_ had been expecting this.

"I know you don't, but I was designed for you."

"Well, I could care _less_ what you were _designed_ to do. You know what _I _was designed to do? I was designed to kill robots like you designed to come after me. Get it? Got it? Good. Bye."

_Alex, pin him down, _the head ordered me.

My foot automatically shot out, kicking Fang in the shins.

"Damn," he said, doubling over. "What the—?"

I stood over him, my hair brushing his face.

"Are you gonna listen or not?"

I looked steadily into his onyx eyes, waiting for a reply.

"No," he answered stubbornly.

I sighed and rolled my eyes.

_Don't give up before he does._

_Okay, _I responded.

Fang kicked me off him and I got thrown back. The little rocks on the ground got stuck in my hands, making them bleed. My clothes got covered in dust. Great. Now I'd look like a homeless person.

He unfurled his wings and took off, muttering something that sounded like "freak".

Huh.

I launched myself into the air and rose up beside him.

"What do you _want?_ Aren't you like, supposed to go home now? It's getting dark. Shouldn't you be going back to your cage or something?"

"My home's with you now."

"Aw, crap," he said, his face contorted with anger and frustration. "Lemme help you get your facts straight: You. Are. Not. Going. To. Live. With. Me. Understood?"

"No," I said. He was tough, but I was tougher. That was how I had been made.

"Look, I know that you have no life, and that you're supposed to follow me around like a lost puppy, but that's not gonna happen, okay?"

Silence.

He stared at me for a long time, cocking his head to one side.

"You really don't get it, do you?" he paused, and stared at me some more, his brow furrowing. "Are they—can they—are they _inside_ of you? Like, can they hear me right now?"

"Everything I say, do, think, and feel are transported to computers back at the lab."

He scoffed.

"And what happens when you tell me things you're not supposed to?"

I squelched some extra-colorful names at myself in my brain, cursing at my stupidity. I hadn't realized that I shouldn't have informed him that the head was, in fact, in my brain. I had been programmed to be flawless, so what had just happened?

"I never said that information was classified," I said coolly, but I knew he could see that I was sweating up a storm.

"Sure," he replied unbelievingly. He kept going, and I followed him.

He sighed and pulled a strand of long hair. It was an unnoticed habit of his. He did it when he was frustrated.

"You're angry," I said, looking him straight in the eye.

"Ya think?" he said sarcastically. He threw me a look that I can't describe. It was like—like he wanted to kill me off.

I flipped through the data in my head, looking at all the pictures I had of Fang.

The first ones were all pictures with his flock, of him laughing a laugh that reached his eyes, others of him staring at Max in that special way, a lopsided grin on his face.

My skin prickled as a fire went through me.

I had been programmed to understand the strange feeling that went through me.

_Jealousy._

The others were pictures of him with cuts and bruises on his dirty face, his mouth set in a straight line, his eyes blazing with fury. Those were the pictures when he was fending off Flyboys and Erasers. That was how he was looking at me now.

"You don't like me," I commented.

"You don't say," he murmured.

"You want me to go away," I continued matter-of-factly.

"Yes. Anyways, weren't you designed to want to make me happy or something?"

I nodded.

"Well then, you going away would make me _ecstatic."_

"No can do."

Fang sighed.

"Fine, then. If I'm gonna be stuck with you, why don't you go make yourself useful or something?"

"How?"

"I dunno. Didn't the freaky white coats give you any money?"

"I have exactly four million dollars in my bank account."

He whistled.

"Okay, how about you get me a burger and fries? And get me a milkshake too, while you're at it."

"No."

"Why not? I'm hungry. I haven't eaten real food since like, what? Wednesday?"

"You're not going to be here when I come back."

"What makes you think that?"

"You don't want me to accompany you, so you will leave the minute I'm gone."

He closed his eyes, trying to control his anger.

"Look, I _promise_ I'll be here when you're back."

"Good enough for me," I replied, nodding.

_How can you trust him?_ The head asked.

_I'm going to have to trust myself. And even if he's gone, you can always track him down._

I changed course, heading for the nearest Burger King.

(Le line break that this stupid website won't let me put)

"All right," I said as I landed, brushing my long hair out of my eyes. "Here's your food."

I looked around me.

_Shit._

The mountain was deserted.

_Well, what did you expect?_ I angrily yelled at myself mentally.

I walked around, looking for any clue, anything that could tell me where he'd gone.

My foot hit an unusually large rock, and I looked down to see that a piece of paper was fluttering underneath it.

I bent down, picked up the rock, and threw it easily over my shoulder.

For a normal human being, that task would've taken maybe minutes and probably more than one of them to accomplish.

I was not normal.

I picked up the paper and slowly read it.

_Rule Number One: _

_Bird-kids are never to be trusted. They don't ever keep their promises._

_-F_

I crumpled the paper and threw it to the ground.

So he wanted to play hard, eh?

Well, he wasn't the only one who could play the game that way.


	7. Chapter 7

**Fang's P.O.V.**

I looked over my shoulder as I had done so many times in the past two hours, hoping that _she_ wasn't following me.

Getting rid of her had been easy, too easy.

My stomach grumbled, angry at me for not waiting for her to come back with the food, but my mind was pleased that I'd flown away as soon as she'd left. My heart… well, let's just say that it was sending waves of guilt washing over my body.

I hated Alex, just like I hated Dylan. I couldn't understand her. Why wasn't she like Dylan, always curious to know more, always so weird?

Oh, Alex was weird too, but she was, well, differently-weird. She was so _robotic._ She knew possibly everything there was to know about…anything. Obviously, the white coats had made her that way, hoping that it would make her seem more human.

It didn't.

When I was sure that there was nobody following me, I started flapping my wings a little less forcefully. My feet hit the ground with a loud thud. Where was I? I walked out of the black alleyway (Yes, I 'park' in place like that, because they're dark, quiet, and convenient.)

I looked around me. Nothing I saw was familiar. Could I have gone to another city?

I walked around for half an hour, looking for anything that could give me a clue of my whereabouts. I entered a diner and placed a five-dollar-bill (The second-to-last one I had left) on the counter.

"Hit me with whatever you have for five bucks," I muttered, not bothering to look up. I was tired, frustrated, dirty, and broke.

"One Texas beef steak comin' right up! Best in Houston!"

Houston, huh?

Interesting.

I inspected my hands for the next seven minutes, following every line, every faint scar, with my eyes.

A hairy hand laid a platter in front of me.

"There you go, son! Enjoy!"

I nodded a silent "Thank you".

He propped his chin up with his hands and stared at me for a long time.

Was there something wrong with me? I wasn't too dirty, wasn't I? Why hadn't he gone back to the kitchen? Did I look suspicious?

What was it that was giving me away?

"You're not from around here, are you, kid?" The man asked.

I looked up to see his face better and mentally winced. He was a chubby man in his late forties with an unshaven, dirty looking face that matched his oily apron. He had a weird Texas twang, and a lisp, caused by the gap between his front teeth. He didn't _look _dangerous. Was there any possibility that he could be one of Them?

"Uh, no, not really. I'm here with my parents to visit my aunt Maggie."

"Where are they?"

"Who?"

"Your parents."

"Oh, they wanted to go to IHOP's, so they gave me some money 'cause I didn't wanna go with them."

He shrugged, pleased with the answer, and turned around.

"Refills are free!" he shouted over his shoulder.

I nodded.

The chimes above the door clicked together as the door opened. A girl walked in and sat on the stool next to me. I lifted my head and cursed, choking on my food. The girl whacked me hard on the back and the little piece of meat stuck in my throat flew out. I wiped my eyes and stared at her coldly.

She smiled.

"Fancy seeing _you_ here."

**You R&R'ing would make me happy!  
~N~**


	8. Chapter 8

**Alexandra's P.O.V.**

"Ah, _crap,_" Fang muttered.

"You don't look very happy to see me." I held up the paper bag that I still clenched tightly. "Here's your burger, fries, and milkshake."

Fang looked long and hard at me. He was wondering if I was serious. When he saw that I was, he sighed, got the paper bag, and looking straight into my eyes, slam-dunked it into the garbage can near the door.

"So I just got that for no reason?" I inquired.

"Yep."

"You suck."

"Wow. You sound almost human."

I leaned closer to him. "That's because I _am _one."

"Whoa, kids. Take this outside, will ya?" the chubby man behind the counter chuckled and winked at me.

Did he actually think—?

Fang got up.

"I'll be back," he said to the man.

He beckoned me outside, and I followed him, as he had said earlier, like a lost puppy. As soon as we were outside, he punched me.

A trickle of blood oozed down the corner of my mouth.

"Ow," I said emotionlessly. "Isn't there a rule that says you can't hit girls?"

"Not in my book," Fang said furiously. "Not if it's just another robot—female version."

He swung his fist at me again, but this time, I caught it and twisted his arm around. He kicked me in the shins and I let go. With his uninjured hand, he took me by my hand, sending sparks flying through my body. He smiled an evil smile and swung me a couple of times before letting me go and kicking me back. I was thrown back into a brick wall. The wall behind me crumbled from the force of the hit.

I stood up, angry.

"I'm just trying to complete my mission!" I shouted angrily.

He was still staring at me like I was the devil himself.

"Do you have any idea what it feels like to not be able to control your own body, your thoughts? Do you know what it is like to _always _have a voice inside your head ordering you around?"

He shrugged. "Max has a Voice too."

"Well, does she have her Voice tell her as soon as she opens her eyes that she's branded with you for life? That she doesn't get to make a decision. That everything is decided and planned accordingly? That _she _can't do anything that They don't tell her to do? No? Well, it _sucks!"_

Fang stopped and looked down.

_He's feeling guilty, Alex. Good job_, the head congratulated me.

He came over to where I was standing with my fists clenched and my jaw set, my eyes slowly filling with redundant tears. He forcefully pushed me against the wall and was so close to me that I could feel his breath on my skin.

He kissed me—unwantingly, of course. An electric shock went through me as soon as his lips met mine, and my body went limp. He pulled back, wiped his lips, and looked at me with revulsion. For the first time in my short life, I was robbed of words. I was burning inside and out, gasping for air.

"You see?" he said disgustedly. "Do you see what it does to you? It makes you feel like you've stuck your hand in a socket, doesn't it? It makes you feel like you're flying."

I nodded slowly. Where was this going?

"Now you kiss me."

"What?" I asked incredulously.

"You heard right. Kiss me."

I reluctantly edged closer to him. Was this a trap?

I slowly repeated what he had done, and quickly pulled back, shielding my face with my hands in case he was going to hit me again. I peered between my fingers when nothing happened.

Fang was looking at me, his face bored, his eyes indifferent. There was no change in his posture nor in his tone as he said, "Now do you understand? You were designed for me, but I wasn't designed for you. The only person that ever makes me feel the way you just felt is Max, and nothing can change that."

"I—you, it's just—" I stuttered.

I was too shocked to even utter a complete sentence.

I turned around and ran, knowing he wouldn't follow me.

I didn't want him to see the tears pouring down my face.

**Now, I know you're going to say Fang's too harsh on Alex, but JP wrote him that day, and I'm just making a fanfic here, so no flaming please. Imagine how YOU would feel if you were Fang and some girl kept coming at you, with no future, her only mission to make you hers. What would YOU do, if you, like Fang, thought that she was a robot?**

**Anyhoo, I'm tired. Been sick for quite a while now. Don't feel so good.**

**Well, any story requests, ideas, advice, and criticism are always welcome. (contact info in profile)**

**R&R? **

**~N~**


	9. Chapter 9

**Fang's P.O.V.**

Alex ran away, her shoulders quaking. I shrugged my shoulders and went back inside.

_Let's hope she's gone for good_, I thought.

"That, uh, girl… Was she your girlfriend?" the fat dude asked.

"Nah. Some crazy stalker," I mumbled.

"What was all that about not being human?"

"Uh… Nothing. I was just kidding."

"If you say so, kid," the man said unbelievingly. He turned around and went through the double doors that led to the kitchen.

I finished my meal in silence, got up, and left.

It was getting dark.

Damn, how long had I walked?

Where was Alex now?

Was she safe?

Had she like, thrown herself off a roof or something?

_Who cares where she is? She's gone, isn't she? Wasn't that what you wanted all along?_ Yay. My conscience was up and at it, making me feel all guilty.

I touched my lips. Alex's kiss really hadn't done anything to me, but I could only guess how _she'd _felt. Max always made me fly with her kisses, and I didn't even have to use my wings. My heart ached as I thought about Max.

Was she missing me as much as I was missing her?

Was she looking for me?

Mental pictures ran through my head, of Max pulling my hair when we were kids, kicking me for calling her pushy, and… kissing me. Kissing me like there was nothing else in the world but her and me. Kissing me like I meant the world to her, like she did to me. Kissing me, furiously, with that crazy Max-passion that she possessed. Kissing me the way only Max could kiss.

I wanted to change my course, wanted to fly for hours, _days_, 'till I could see her again, and she could kiss me, and I could hold her in my arms, and annoy the crap out of her with my one-word answers that she oh-so hated.

But… hurting Alex like that hadn't been right. I still hated her guts, but she was programmed to have feelings, obviously. And I had hurt them.

Shit.

Now my conscience wouldn't leave me alone until I found her and apologized.

And when I found her, she would cling to me like a leech once again.

What was I supposed to do?

I knew what I had to do, but my heart refused to join forces with my brain.

I took a deep breath, spread my wings, and jumped into the cool night air.

**Yeah yeah, blah blah. My stories are so dramatic. :D**

**I wanna do a funny story, but those aren't my type. You know, like the ones where Iggy or Fang turn out to be gay, and shave their legs, and dance to single ladies and whatnot. Hehe. **

**Those are funny. But I can't bring myself to write those. When I'm writing, I get all serious, but in real life, I'm just a big goofball.**

**How are YOU when you're writing?**

**R&R please!**

**~N~**


	10. Chapter 10

**Alexandra's P.O.V.**

I looked up at the moon. Wasn't there some sort of legend that said that there was a "man in the moon" that little kids talked to?

I scanned through my data.

Ah. Yes. And ironically enough, his name was "Man-In-The-Moon".

"Tell me" I shouted at the moon, feeling stupid. "Tell me what I'm supposed to do!"

Silence.

I smashed my hand against the wall, angry at myself for talking to a freakin' moon, for leaving Fang when my mission was to follow him, for being too emotional. I stared interestedly at the dent I'd left on the now-demolished wall.

_Your own power can amaze you, Alex. Just use it for what we're telling you to._

I did not like the head being able to listen to everything I was thinking or saying or hearing. It took the "private" right out of the "privacy".

_But I control you._

There was no use in arguing.

I buried my head in my hands. I had failed my mission. I hadn't been able to make Fang like me. I had failed. I would be terminated.

Terminated.

I hated that word. Hated it with all my heart. It was so _unfair._ Wasn't I a human?

Wasn't I supposed to be granted a full, happy life?

Why did these people think that terminating me was reasonable?

_Are you doubting our program of study?_

_Uh, yeah, kinda, _I answered in my head, annoyed.

The head was silent.

"Alex!"

I whirled around and sighed. I really didn't want to go through this again.

"Why are _you_ here? You taught me my lesson. You can go home now, to your precious Max. You're not going to find any other mutants. Just—just go home, okay? To Max. To your Flock. To your happy little life."

Fang stared at me, his eyes scrutinizing.

"Why are you jealous of Max?" he asked, grinning slightly.

Huh. The jerk liked it that I envied Maximum. Well, I'd give him a taste of his own medicine.

"Why is Dylan jealous of _you?" _I threw back at him.

He stiffened. "What do you know about Dylan?"

I shrugged. "Oh, you know, just what everybody else knows. Gorgeous hunk, 'perfect half', innocent, can see the future or whatever."

Fang sat down next to me, suddenly interested in what I had to say.

"The future? Dylan sees the future?" he asked.

"Yeah. Sorta. I dunno. He sees things before they happen."

"Hmm. Do _you_ have any special powers?"

"I have pretty much anything anyone could ever want to know stored away in my brain."

"Where was Bush born?"

"Texas."

"Well, anyone can know that. What's Iggy allergic to?"

"Gum. Says so on your blog."

"What was the name of that girl back in Virginia that Max got all mad about?"

"Lissa."

"You're good. You might come in handy."

"What do you mean?"

"Look, first of all, I wanna say that I'm sorry. For, uh, kissing you."

"Yeah, it's not really a big deal."

"No. I mean it. You weren't ready. I freaked the hell out of you."

"It's _okay_," I repeated, irritated. Couldn't he just go away and let me enjoy my last hours in peace?

"Why are you mad? God, I'm just apologizing," Fang said, annoyed.

"Look, _I _tried to make you like me, _I _failed, and now, _I'm _the one that's gonna die. So just—just go, okay? Just leave it be. You're not gonna change anything."

I looked at him, silently apologizing for all I had done.

It was over. I would be dead soon, and it would all be over with quickly. No pain. Nothing.

Fang grasped my shoulder and spun me around. His eyes were wide and trusting.

I'd never seen him like this before. It warmed my heart.

"They're going to _kill_ you because you couldn't change my mind?" he asked incredulously.

I nodded.

"How long have you lived?"

"Um, a week?"

Dark clouds passed over Fang's eyes.

"We've gotta stop them."

"What?"

"We're gonna have to change my mind, so you can continue living."

**All right, I have to go do my art project now. This chapter sucks. Oh well. Sorry. :"( **

**I'll try to do better next time. I'm just so tired, my contacts are going crazy, and blah. :P**

**Oh, and lots of reviews don't bother me. I love 'em. **

**But I gotta go now!**

**R&R?**

**-N-**


	11. Chapter 11

**For those of you who are wondering how on earth I could make Fang cheat on Max, well… Keep readin' buddy. I'm not giving away anything. :D**

**Alexandra's P.O.V.**

"So, sound like a plan or what?" Fang inquired. He winked at me, signaling that this was something I had to go along with.

"Oh, I _get it_," I said sarcastically. "You're just a _totally insane freak_ that has no idea what he's saying."

"Jeezum," Fang muttered, smiling to himself. "You're almost as bad as Max."

"Er, I'll take that as a compliment."

"Nah, it's an insult."

"Okay, so what do you mean?" I pressed on. Fang was giving up his love just so _I _could stay alive? Somehow that didn't sound too convincing.

He pulled me aside, although we were alone, and looked around quickly.

"Can you get them out of your head?"

"Who?"

"The white coats."

"Um, according to my information, no, it's quite impossible, unless you open up my brain and take the chip out."

"What chip?"

"They inserted a chip into my brain so they can follow what I do."

_Alex, you are giving far too much away. You will have to be put to sleep if you don't stop this right now!_

"Screw you!" I said loudly. "Do you think I give a damn anymore about what you think? I see what you are now! I see what you've made me into! I never wanted this life, so why don't you take it already?"

"NO!" Fang said, shaking me by the shoulders. "You _can't _give them permission to end your life! They don't have the right!"

"But _you guys_ have expiration dates."

"That's different. You can't just tell someone they can end your life! That's handing the power over to them!"

_Ah, but we already _have_ the power._

_Shut up! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT _UP!

_We control you. I control you, Alexandra. Your future's in my hands._

"QUIET!" I bellowed, falling onto my knees. I held my head in my hands, tears streaming down my face. "Get OUT!" I started pulling my hair.

"Alex!" Fang shouted, holding onto my arms. I squirmed, crying like a little baby.

"Stop it!" Fang ordered me. I didn't listen. I pushed him back and clenched my head. I had to get out that chip _some_how.

Fang ran forward and started shaking me. I freed myself of his grip and turned around, digging my fingernails into my skull, calculating how far they would go before I injured myself very, _very_ badly.

Fang spun me around and slapped me, hard.

"Get a grip of yourself!" he rumbled.

I stopped, too shocked to do anything. Fang was reacting similarly. He looked down at his hand unbelievingly.

"I can't believe I just slapped a _girl!"_ he muttered to himself.

"No, it's okay. I—thanks. If you hadn't stopped me, I'd probably done something stupid to myself."

"No. I _hit _you. What the _hell _is wrong with me?" he said, still kind of talking to himself.

"Nothing. I was acting irrationally, and you tried to stop me—like a good friend. And you've hit me before. "

Shit. I shouldn't have said that. He wasn't my friend. He didn't want to be, anyways.

"It's different. You're—it's—"

He buried his head in his hands. He was silent for a long time. A very long time. He was rock still. Was he even breathing?

He suddenly lifted his head. "What do you know about Max?"

"I…"

What did Max have anything to do with all of this?

"Um, lots of stuff. She's my competition, so I'm loaded with info about her."

"Like what? What do you know about her?" he repeated.

"Um, she's the leader," I said uncomfortably. The subject of Max made me feel all wrong inside. Like I was doing something bad. Like I was breaking something up.

"No freakin' duh," Fang said, rolling my eyes.

"No. She's a dominating, pain-in-the-ass, Hitler kind of leader."

Fang glared at me.

"What?" I asked innocently. (Hardee har har) "You agree with me. All of the Flock does. Besides… Dylan."

Fang's head jerked upward.

"What's Mr. Perfect's insight on Maximum? Tell me. I'm _dying _to know," he said sarcastically.

"He thinks she's perfect. He thinks _he's_ perfect for her. He thinks _they're_ perfect for each other."

Random fact: Dylan thinks about perfection. A lot.

"Huh," Fang said. "You notice that there's a lot of 'perfects' in those sentences?"

Ah, so he agreed with me.

"But," I continued. "He's feeling uncertain."

" 'Bout what? He's uncertain 'cause he thinks I'll come back and ruin their 'perfectly happy' life? Well, he's got nothing to worry about."

"Um, no. He doesn't like what he is. After what happen back at Dr. Hans' headquarters, he felt like it wasn't…_right _to break you and Max up."

"Really?" Fang asked interestedly. "And how do you know all of this? Are you like, a teen version of Angel?"

I tapped my head.

"It's all up there."

"Do you have any information about how she is…? Like, any memories, anything?"

"Um, yeah. They gave me some of your memories."

"And how do They have my memories?"

"Through Angel."

"Which memories do you have?"

_Alex, no. No_, the head firmly thought. _I will put you to sleep this instant if you show him. He wasn't supposed to know that we have access to them too. You've given far too much away. We can't let you live if you do this. This is my last warning. Alex, don't. Think about the long, happy life you could live with Fang. Are you willing to give all that up?_

"Hell yeah I am," I said out loud so that Fang would hear me and understand that he could trust me. "I'm willing to give up everything. You know why? In the short week I've lived, I've learned something that—surprise, surprise—wasn't in my data: The actual feeling of love. It's what Fang and Max have, and you can't change it."

I closed my eyes as one of Fang's Max-memories played in my mind.

"_Fang, get your lazy butt off that couch and help Iggy clean up the table!" Max ordered._

_I rolled my eyes. _

"_Why don't _you_ do it?" I asked. "You're no help at cooking, so the least you could do was clean up the mess!"_

_Max punched me._

"_Um, ow?" I said, rubbing my shoulder. "Damn, you're fierce."_

"_So I've been called. Now get up and help Iggy." _

_I laughed and got up, headed for the kitchen._

"Max is… very leader-ish," I said.

Fang shook his head. "Very."

"She gets angry when things aren't done her way."

"You betcha."

Another memory popped up.

_Max was sitting on the sofa, thinking about something, scratching her cheek: her usual distracted habit. I sat beside her. _

"_Hey."_

"_Damn, you freaked the hell out of me!" Max shouted._

"_Calm yourself," I said, stroking her back. I knew it comforted her._

_She closed her eyes in bliss._

"_It's been a long time since we've been alone," she mumbled._

"_Yup."_

"_I feel so stressed, Fang. Like I have to make everything right, or I lose the leader credibility."_

_I nodded. Max took way too much on. She had it so that everyone's problems were also hers. Someone needed to lift that burden off her shoulders. That someone needed to be me._

"_You need to relax," I said softly. "Just back off a bit."_

"_You're right." She sighed. "I don't know what I'd do without you. You make everything seem right. With you, everything's possible."_

"_You don't know how much I feel the same way," I murmured, bending down to kiss her._

"She takes too much on, or so you think," I commented.

Fang nodded again.

"You love her, a passionate love. You'd be nothing without her, she nothing without you. You're her Ice, and she's your Fire."

Fang was quiet for a long time.

"It's beautiful," I whispered.

"What?"

"Your relationship. It's so romantic."

Fang made a face.

"_Please _don't go all Nudge on me!"

"Nudge, the chatterbox?"

"Yes, that Nudge. Any other Nudges you know?"

"No. It—it's so strange."

"What's so strange?"

"Your relationship doesn't make me envious anymore."

"That's… interesting."

"So, what did you mean anyways, about the whole 'changing your mind thing'?"

"I thought that maybe we could make it so it looked like I picked you, fool them, and let you live. Apparently, that plan wasn't well thought out."

"Yeah, it's okay. I should've been prepared, anyways," I said, trying to keep the sadness out of my voice.

"No, it's not okay. We gotta do something, Alex."

"Nothing can be done," I said, gulping. A strange knot was forming in my throat.

"Fang?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks. For everything. You were my first—and probably last—friend on this Earth, and I really appreciate that."

I didn't have any more doubts. Fang was my friend. He didn't want me to die.

"Alex, don't talk like that. We'll find a way. I promise."

It was so sweet that he cared for me.

So sweet.

I closed my eyes.

I saw an invisible clock in my head, mocking me with every "tick-tock", reminding me how close my death was.

What was the phrase?

Ah, yes.

_The end is near._

**So, what'd you guys think? Long chapter, eh? **

**Lotsa emotion.**

**Oh well. I'm kinda weird like that.**

**Anyhoo, I answer questions on formspring (dot me) so I'll answer if you ask!**

**R&R please!**


	12. Chapter 12

The head buried her face in her hands. Just when she'd thought that everything had been going perfectly, _this _had to happen.

Why?

Why did she have to go wrong, just like Twenty-two?

What was it that they were doing wrong?

She sighed.

What had to be done was obvious.

"Finish her," she regretfully ordered.

The tech stared at her, her mouth gaping wide open.

"You can't be serious!" she exclaimed. "She's a work of art! We—we made her that way! _Why?"_ The last word was almost a cry.

"Sylvia, you promised that you wouldn't let _it _get in the way. Terminate her. Now."

"I—I. Okay."

"Good."

The head turned and left the room hurriedly, not wanting to witness what was about to happen.

_Five hours later._

The tech looked around her. Everybody had gone. So had she. Or so it said in the computer screens. She'd slid her card through the automatic door, indicating that she was leaving, but stayed inside.

She pressed a few buttons, and all of the computer screens were suddenly filled with the image of _her _tearful face, hugging Fang, who awkwardly patted her back.

"Why can't they just get it over with?" Alex wailed. "Is this their sick way of torturing me?"

The tech longingly looked at her. They shared the same nose and emerald green eyes, but everything else about her was just like Anthony's.

She looked just like Alexia.

Alexia.

Her daughter.

The tech hoped that she was in a happy place, enjoying every single fineness that heaven had to offer.

Alexia, who had died of leukemia.

Alexia, whose few cells had still lived.

Alexia, who had been cloned.

And Alexia's clone was now on-screen, her head on Fang's shoulder, sobbing hysterically.

She couldn't do it to her.

She looked _so_ much like Alexia.

She couldn't.

The tech's shoulders shook. Silent tears poured down her face. She quickly wiped them away and put her headset on.

"Alex? Alex, can you hear me?"

On the screen, Alexandra's green eyes flashed open and she pulled back from Fang.

"Who—who are you? You're not the head." she asked out loud.

"No. I'm—I'm a friend. I need you to listen to me _very _carefully, Alexandra. Are you listening?"

"Yeah, but how am I supposed to know if I can trust you. What if this is a trap?"

"Remember what you told the head about having to trust yourself? Well, listen to your heart."

Alex stopped crying and sniffed.

God, she looked awful. Just a day ago, she had been a determined girl on a mission, nothing able to get in her way. Now, she was just like a normal teenager. A normal teenager crying on another teenager's shoulder, afraid of death.

Afraid.

Alex was programmed to have no fear of anything, but she'd broken _it_. She'd broken the bond. She was now not connected to them. Sure, they could see her and hear her, but they couldn't control her anymore.

"You're going to live," the tech said firmly. "I'll do anything it takes to make you live."

"Why?" Alex inquired. "You don't even know me."

"Yes, I do. I was the first person you met when you first opened your eyes in this world."

"Sylvia?" Alex gasped. "Why are you doing this? They'll do something to you!"

"They can't do squat to me," the tech assured her. "Just listen to everything I say, okay?"

Alex nodded.

"Okay, I'm going to power you down," Alex's eyes were frightened, and a small squeak escaped from her throat. "Don't worry. It will only be for a couple of minutes while I mess with the computers. I'll make it look like you died, and any data about you will be erased."

"And the chip?" Alex asked.

"I'll make it so that it's not viable anymore. It'll, um, come out of you in a few days. We won't be able to track you anymore, and will have no access to any of your records."

"Why are you doing this?" Alex asked again.

The tech gulped.

She couldn't tell her.

She _couldn't._

"Because I believe that every human being, clone or not, should have a chance at life. And you haven't had yours. Not yet."

Alex's eyes filled with tears.

"Thanks Syl. I'll never forget this."

_And I'll never forget you_, the tech thought.

She pressed the red button. (Why were the important buttons always red? Though she was a techie, she hadn't been able to figure it out yet.)

She watched Alex collapse, watched Fang catch her right before her body hit the ground.

She frantically began pressing control buttons, deleting data, and entering passwords into websites so classified that she couldn't even utter their names.

What she was doing was illegal.

What she was doing was right.

What she was doing was human.

What she was doing was what a true mother would do.

"Have fun with your life, Alex," she said softly to herself.

**WHOA! DID YOU GUYS SEE THAT ONE COMING? I'M SURE NOT. I didn't either. It just… came to me. :D**

**Emotional chappie. Somehow, I end up having almost all my chapters have something emotional. Hehe, I'm a weirdo. **

**Well, this was a thrilling chapter.**

**I'm updating tomorrow, so stay tuned.**

**Your reviews make my day, so please R&R!**

**Keep rockin'!**

**Your friendly craziful author,**

**~Nesibe~**


	13. Chapter 13

**Fang's P.O.V.**

"Uh, Alex, mind telling me what's going on?" I asked.

"I'll never forget this," Alex said, her eyes full of tears.

_O_kay. She was choosing to ignore me.

"Look, can you just tell me who you're—"

Alex moaned as her eyes rolled to the back of her head. She went limp and let herself go. I caught her right before she fell and shook her.

"Alex! Alex, can you hear me? ALEXANDRA!"

No freakin' way.

Alex's body was already turning into ice. I touched her cold fingers tenderly.

They'd terminated her.

And it was all my fault.

All my fault.

Everybody thinks that just because I'm silent, I'm practically emotionless—a killing machine.

That's not true.

Seeing Alex die for me was one of the most heartbreaking things I'd ever seen—and trust me, I've seen a _lot _of things in my fifteen years of life.

No human would sacrifice himself for someone that he'd just met.

Alex had done the unthinkable.

And now I was feeling all culpable.

"Alex, listen to me," I whispered in her ear. "If you somehow can hear me, I just want to tell you that I'm sorry. I'm sorry for being so mean to you, I'm sorry for kissing you, for hitting you, I'm just—_Sorry. _Okay? I made your only week on Earth miserable. Can you hear me? And… I'm sorry for not choosing you. You're a really nice girl with a kind heart, but… Max and I… we were meant to be. And I'm sorry that I can't change it, but I _love _her, Alex. Like _you _love me. I'm—I'm sorry, okay?"

I looked at Alex. She was still stiff. I bent my head down to her chest. Nope, no heartbeat.

Damn.

This was _not_ the way I'd wanted things to end.

I'd actually felt kind of _sorry _for Alex. She was just another girl… stuck with a soul mate that she hadn't even gotten to choose herself.

I loved Max.

I always would.

But Alex needed to live.

Someone needed to teach these white coats that they did _not _control us, or our destiny.

"God_dammit!" _

Anger, confusion, and this weird emotion that needed Cheetos passed through me.

And then came the questions…

What was I going to do with the body?

What would I tell people if they asked me what happened?

Would I just continue my mutant search like nothing was wrong?

I paced around for a while, then stopped and looked at her, stroking my chin.

She looked so… peaceful.

Seconds passed by, each one as long as an hour.

I stared at Alex's lifeless, cold body.

Would she ever forgive me?

"Mmgbh."

I raised my head.

Could it be?

Alex's eyelids fluttered open and she groaned, rubbing her head.

"Ow," she said. She looked up at me and saw my white face, my bulging eyes.

"Oh, hey, Fang. Did I miss anything?"

Yeah. Just like that.

All nonchalantly.

Like nothing was wrong.

As if nothing had happened.

I shook my head. The world was a weird, wacked-up place.

**Short chap. Hope you guys enjoyed it though.**

**If you have any questions ask me on formspring (asmileaday77).**

**I would really appreciate some reviews!**

**Keep rockin' like it's nobody's business!**

**~N~**


	14. Chapter 14

**Lalala! I'm back! Sorry to keep you guys waiting for so long, but I had the three of the most stressful, fun, crazy weeks of my life. (Long story. If you actually give a shizz, PM me.) I would've updated sooner, but I've been super busy, what with a new story (Okay, it's not actually a story, it's just random discussions, but it takes time to write too!) and a new blog and a new science project that I have to work on (BLEGH!), I just never had time to write. Oh, and just because some of you asked: This story DOES have a plot. I know where it's going, so don't worry, it won't turn into some maniacal tale that doesn't make any sense. And… I have a question: How the hell do you link stuff onto your profile? Like, if it says MY BLOG and you click on it, it takes you to my blog. Can someone with more experience please help? (I think I'm gonna throw this laptop out of the window soon if I don't figure all this crap out!)**

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**Alexandra's P.O.V.**

I blinked and tried to sit up. My head was throbbing; my eyes stung. Three freaked-out Fangs were swimming in my vision. I groaned, holding my head with my right hand while trying to support my aching body with my left.

"What just happened?" I asked, wincing at the pain that the simple movement of my cheek muscles brought.

"Why don't _you _tell me?" Fang responded, helping me up. "What the hell did they do to you?"

"I—I can't remember," I said slowly. It was the truth; I couldn't remember a single thing that had happened in the last twenty-four hours. "Uh, Fang?" I asked, touching my hand to the back of my head. My fingers were instantly covered in this sticky stuff. "Why is there dried blood on my head?"

"I don't know," Fang replied, still looking super-spooked. He backed away slowly, as if I was contagious and he didn't want whatever it was that I had.

"What's wrong with you?" I asked, staggering towards him. "You look like you've seen a ghost or something."

"Alex, don't you remember anything?" he asked unbelievingly.

"No."

"Nothing at all?"

"Nope. Nada."

"You were talking to someone," he said. "You mentioned her name—Sylvia. You said you'd never forget her or something. You don't remember any of that?"

Now that he brought it up… I kind of _did _remember. Snippets of a conversation with someone flashed through my head.

"_Going to power you down…data erased…won't be able to track you…no access to your records…make it look like you died."_

I blinked rapidly. Sylvia had done that?

"Are you sure you're ok—"Fang started, but I interrupted him, holding a hand up.

"Hush. I'm thinking."

Believe it or not, Fang's mouth clamped shut and he looked at me interestedly. This was a remarkable development: Fang was actually listening to me now.

I squeezed my eyes shut and sorted through my memories. **(It's quite possible; I do it on a daily basis. It helps me remember things.)** There weren't a lot of them, considering that I'd only lived for about eight or nine days. Most of them were of Fang, and the rest of them were of me back at the lab with Dr. O'Ryan, the head, Sylvia. The thought of Sylvia brought everything back—every second of what had happened. I tried to stifle a gasp. I turned to Fang, my eyes burning.

"The tech back at the lab helped me! She was the one who did all of this! Nobody knows where I am anymore! No one's in my head!"

"Okay, so that's a good thing, isn't it?" he inquired.

"No!" I said frantically. Didn't he _get_ it?  
"They'll do something to her—the tech! They'll kill her! They'll torture her for helping me!"

"Look," Fang said, placing his hands on my shoulders and looking steadily into my eyes. "I understand that you're scared and you feel bad, but there's nothing you can do. It was _her _choice to help you, and what happened has already happened. You can't change that."

What was _wrong _with him? Didn't he care if an innocent person died for doing something so noble?

I pushed him back and he staggered.

"We can't just let her die!" I shouted, giving him my best death glare.

"Well, what do you want _me _to do about it?" he yelled back, just as furious.

No, he obviously did _not _get it.

"Don't you see that letting something like this happen makes you as evil as all those scientists back at The School? It makes you as heartless as all of the Erasers and Flyboys you've finished off! It makes you as stupid and sightless as the bad people in your life—the ones that have tried to kill _you!_"

I stopped to wipe a tear and noticed that I was crying. I took in a deep breath and tried to control myself; tried to stop the shaking of my fingers. "Tell me Fang: Did all of the people sent out to kill you have a reason? Did they want to kill you because you did something? No, just because you existed. When someone throws rocks at you, the best solution is _not _to throw rocks back at them! You can't let your past make you a bad person! You can't let all of the things that happened to you make your heart shrivel and turn ice cold! No matter how bad your life may seem, there are always good things that should cheer you up!"

I stopped once again for some air, and Fang seized the opportunity to talk.

"Tell me one good thing about my life right now," he snarled. He wasn't angry at _me, _he was just infuriated—at life, at the stupid scientists that kept him and the Flock constantly on the run, and even though he wouldn't admit it, he was _tired._ Tired of being a freak, tired of running, tired of living a life that didn't have a point.

"You're still alive," I shot back. "You don't have some kind of illness; nobody's chasing you—at the moment—and you've still got _me."_

Okay, I know this looks bad, but I didn't mean it _that _way. Obviously Fang didn't think so either because he didn't react strongly as he usually would. Instead, he sat down on the floor; his legs crossed, his hands supporting his body, and looked up at me.

"Okay, so I don't have a reason to be emo, thank you very much for pointing that out, but I still don't see why you're not depressed and crying in your little corner. You said there were no mutants, so I don't know what I'll do, and _you _don't have anywhere to go, so we're basically two teenage kids without a home- or a mission- wandering around in Houston. What's so awesome about that?"

"Well," I said slowly. "I kinda lied. About the mutant thing?"

Fang leaned in, his brow furrowing. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I lied when I said that there were no mutants."

"Why?"

"I dunno. I was angry, sad, miserable, and the last thing I needed was for you to leave me to go looking for some mutants. If you haven't noticed, I don't have anyone else besides you."

"So, where _are _these mutants?" he asked.

"I… I don't know. Sylvia—the tech deactivated the chip, so I can't remember. Everything's so blurry."

"I don't get it," Fang said, stroking his chin, a faraway look in his eyes. "Just because they deactivated it doesn't mean it's still not in your memories. How is it that you can't remember?"

I shrugged. "Beats me. Maybe I just need some rest."

I looked at Fang for a long time. He was dirty, tired, and he _reeked. _

"When was the last time you showered?" I asked, wrinkling my nose.

He opened his mouth to answer but I stopped him.

"Wait, don't even answer that. I don't wanna know. Come on, let's get you cleaned up." I took him by his hand and helped him get up on his feet.

"Where are we going?" he wanted to know.

"To a hotel."

* * *

**So, I made a blog: www (dot) nsays (dot) tumblr (dot) com. It'll probably get pretty interesting. Thank you to all of you who have waited so long and reviewed! **

**Special shout-out to Triggerhappy44, because her review made me LOL and feel all fuzzy inside: **

_Now, I will actually legit throw cuccumbers at you if you don't continue the story. _

_ This story is AMAZING. As close to perfect as you can get without being like dylan (who doesn't deserve capitals)_

_ :)Triggerhappy44_

_ P.S. I like Alex, and the (Slyvia? was that her name?) tech._

**-The Winged Wonder-**


	15. Chapter 15

**Just so you know: When I was writing this, I made the convo that you will see later on in Spanish, then decided not to go to all the trouble 'cause some of you wouldn't get it and have to search it up or I'd have to explain it to you and yada yada yada, so I just deleted the whole conversation and wrote it in English. Just keep in mind that that scene is happening in Spanish.

* * *

**

**Alexandra's P.O.V.**

I wiped my hands on my dirty jeans and licked my dried lips. Next to me, Fang was bleating about something that I wasn't listening to. Instead, I was looking around me at all of the dark colored people, some chatting with their neighbors, others trying to sell products to clueless passerbys; the little ones playing on the streets with their friends. It all looked so… _touching. _It was like everyone here was family, and no one was left out; not one person was left unloved. It was everything _I _didn't have. It warmed my heart and broke it at the same time.

"Alex!" Fang snapped me out of my thoughts. "Remind me again why we're here and not in a fancy-shmancy hotel. I thought you said you had a lot of money. We could at least enjoy the fine things in life while we can."

I brushed my hand over my mouth so Fang wouldn't see my smile.

"Because the money's mine and I wanna stay here," I said stubbornly. I'd never let Fang know the real reason: I had never seen Fang whine before, neither in my memories nor in real life, and I was dying to have a memory of him that way. That had been the only real reason, but now that we were here, I was glad I'd chosen this place. It was perfect. This was the Mexican side of Houston—the part that new immigrants came to; everyone here spoke Spanish. When Fang and I had come here, I'd felt as if I'd left America and entered Mexico. There were vendors everywhere trying to sell us different tropical fruits that I'd never seen before, (not much of a surprise, though. I'm not a big fruit person, and I haven't lived that long.) and little markets with knick-knacks that you couldn't find anywhere else. I was ecstatic, but Fang, obviously, didn't share the feeling.

"Fine," he said, glaring at me darkly. "But how do you expect them to let us through? There are no English-speakers here."

"No worries," I said lightly. "I can speak Spanish, French, Portuguese, Turkish, Arabic, Hungarian, Greek, Hindi, Japanese, Chinese, Bulgarian, Persian, Polish, Serbian, Vietnamese, and Swedish."

"I think it's kinda impossible for a normal human being to know _seventeen _languages," Fang looked at me doubtfully.

"Oh really?" I said, cocking my hip. "I can tell you to fuck off in those seventeen languages, you know, so maybe it'd be better for you to think before you speak."

"I still don't believe you. And I think that they gave you a bit too much of the 'sarcasm' dose."

"Fine. I couldn't care less. ButI _do _think that you should know that it's not impossible. The human brain is capable of doing far more things than you think. The problem is that humans don't use their brains to their full capacities, is all."

"So you're saying humans are kinda stupid."

"More or less."

"Should I be insulted?"

"Are you human?" I asked him.

He was silent for a few minutes. Had I said something wrong?

He finally looked up at me, a weird, confusing look in his dark eyes that I couldn't figure out.

"I don't know," he said slowly. "Do _you _feel like _you're _human?"

He was throwing my question back at me. I thought about it for a while, and then shrugged. If _he _didn't like this topic, there was no need to continue talking about it.

"Doesn't everyone feel alienated every once in a while?" I asked breezily.

"Yeah, but—" he began.

"So, how do we get through?" I asked, cutting him off. "Do I just go talk to the guy? What do I say? That we're two homeless kids that wanna stay in his inn?"

"No," Fang said slowly, as if he couldn't believe I could be so naive. "You do what every girl does when she wants something: you flirt. Duh." He rolled his eyes at me.

"You want me to…flirt?" I asked skeptically. "What makes you think I'll succeed?"

"You're smart and pretty." He shrugged. "Why _shouldn't _you be successful?"

"You think I'm pretty?"

He blushed. Ooh, so Mr. Tall, Dark and Resigned _could _show feelings, if he wanted to.

"Max is better looking," he said, making a "don't-get-any-ideas" face at me.

"Okay, okay. So what do I do? Just flirt with him? It's that easy?"

"You know, I'd do this to save both of us the trouble _and _the time, but I'm not gay, so just _go!" _ Fang pushed me toward the doors, where a tall, gangly boy was standing guard. He looked to be about eighteen or nineteen and wasn't attractive at the very least.

"Uh, hola," I said shyly.

"What do you want?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest and staring down at me. He was all business, and I wasn't sure if I'd be able to change that.

"I didn't know hot guys worked at hotels," I stuttered. "So if I want a boyfriend, I should come to hotels more often, huh?"

God, I was lame. And desperate. Thank God Fang can't speak Spanish, because if he knew the stuff I was saying, well, let's just say I'd probably die of embarrassment.

"We don't let gringos pass," he sneered, thrusting his chin out.

"But we're not gringos. My brother and I just came from Spain and we're kinda lost. Can you help us?"

I looked over at Fang, and he gave me a thumbs-up.

"What if I don't wanna help you guys?"

I snaked closer to him.

"Don't you think I'm pretty?" I hissed in his ear. He looked straight ahead, not meeting my eyes. "You like to play, don't you?" I asked, running a finger down his spine. He stiffened.

"I already have a girlfriend."

Ew. _Who'd wanna go out with _you? I wanted to ask, but I restrained myself.

"I'm not going to let you pass," he said stubbornly.

Mission failed. I sighed and took out a wad of cash.

"Maybe this'll help you change your mind."

His eyes grew wide; he nodded, signaling that we could go in. Fang ran up to me. "That was fast. Did you use your charm on him?"

"No." I sighed. "He has a girlfriend, so I bribed him."

"Nice going. Oh, and just 'cause I'm curious, what did you tell him?"

My cheeks burned. "Nothing. Just…nothing." If Fang knew how low I'd stooped, he'd never let it live down.

Once we were inside, we checked in, where the young girl behind the counter gave us weird looks, and ran up to our rooms. My only mission at the moment was to take a freakin' _siesta_, but Fang, unfortunately, had different plans.

"Let's eat," he said, throwing a crumpled napkin at my head.

"Um, ew?_" _I said, picking it out of my hair. "That napkin wasn't dirty, was it?"

"I'm _starving_," was his whiny response. "Why can't get something to eat?"

Wow. Hunger can change even the most stubborn, emo-looking bird-kids out there. (Not that I know of any other emo bird-kids besides Fang, but you never know…) I took some crumpled bills out of my back pocket and threw them at him.

"Go get yourself some enchiladas or something, but don't bother me. I can't believe you're not dying from the lack of sleep."

"I'll be back," he replied, dashing out of the room.

I shook my head and chuckled. Fang was cute when he was annoying. (Not that I like him like that anymore like that, apparently, but who can say that he's not handsome?)

I stretched and closed my eyes, letting my body relax. I tried not to think about anything and let my mind go blank...

* * *

There was a knock on the door, and my eyes flew open. I bounced out of the bed, ready for action, already tensing.

"Señorita? Quieren algo?"

I breathed a sigh of relief. It was just the maid.

"No, no queremos nada. Gracias."

I scratched my head; my hand was immediately tangled in my messy hair. I hopped around clumsily, trying to get my fingers out of my hair without ripping it out. My eyes scanned across the room out of habit, and stopped at the flashing red light on the cheap alarm clock that read 12:00 A.M. My first thought was:_ What kind of maid disturbs the guests at twelve in the morning? _ Suddenly, my blood froze. I slowly turned around to look at the twin bed next to mine. It was empty. Fang had left at 9 o'clock. I doubted it would take three hours for him to have dinner and I was a light sleeper, I would've woken up if I'd heard the door open. I dashed to the window and looked outside. There were still many people in the streets: some middle-aged men were drunkenly singing crazy love songs, others were watching a soccer match, and some teenagers were huddled around something, all taking a whiff at it, but there was no Fang. I ran downstairs and was almost out of the double doors of the hotel when a hand grabbed my arm. I whirled around and brought my hand up, ready to chop down on the arm that was connected to the hand. I stopped when my eyes met the stranger, who, as it turns out to be, wasn't a stranger. It was the boy from earlier, the one I'd (unsuccessfully) tried (and failed) to flirt with.

"You lookin' for your friend? I saw him earlier. He was over there." He pointed to a Mexican restaurant that was a few houses away.

"Gracias." I nodded at him and ran towards the restaurant. I opened the doors and searched the place with my eyes. Nope. He wasn't here. I darted outside and turned my head this way and that, hoping he would magically appear out of thin air, but no such luck.

I ran up and down the streets, asking everyone if they'd seen a tall, dark boy with long hair. I described him, his clothes, how he walked, but no, everyone claimed to have never seen such a kid.

After an hour of searching the streets, I stopped for a few minutes to catch my breath. I sat down on the ground, panting.

Where the hell could he have gone? No, he wouldn't have gone somewhere without telling me, would he? Someone must've done something to him…

I tried to convince myself that that wasn't true, but that only left one option: Fang had seen an opportunity and he had seized it. It had been a joke all along. He'd never believed me _or_ wanted me.

"No," I said aloud. I shook my head. It just wasn't possible. He couldn't be _that _good of an actor.

Either way, the reality was that Fang had left. No matter how or why, he wasn't here.

He was _gone._


	16. Chapter 16

**So, I was writing this chapter while video-chatting with two of my friends: Tyler (Ty) and Lexi, who also read my FFs, and I suddenly got this urge to get up and dance to "I'm On a Boat". After a complete hour of this ridiculous nonsense, I'm guessing they couldn't stand it anymore, 'cause Lexi blurted out, "You're **_**not **_**fucking a mermaid, so get back to work and finish that chapter or I will virtually slap you, bitch!" and Tyler yelled,****"Goddamit Sibe! We fucking get that you're on a motherfucking boat! Now shut the fucking hell up and write the motherfucking story!"**** . (I'm guessing that if they hear the sentence "I'm on a boat, mothafucka!" one more time, they'll explode into a tiny million pieces.) So, if you're gonna thank anyone for this chapter, thank them. If they didn't virtually slap me every now and then, I think I'd end up in a mental asylum. :D SO, special shout-out out to Ty and Lex: Thanks for always slapping me (virtually or in real life) to get me back in shape. With friends (that I know in real life) like you guys, and reviewer buddies like YOU GUYS (who I only know from FF, but still love. Seriously. You guys are better than half of my real-life friends.), who needs a boyfriend? :)

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**

_Earlier that day. (8:00 P.M, to be exact)_

"All right," the head said, clapping her hands together. "This better be good." She had been in the middle of dinner when they'd called from the Lab, saying that she had to come over.

"I think you should take a look at this," said the guard nervously, handing her a laptop.

"What is _this _supposed to be?" the head asked.

"This is the camera in the Computer room."

"And?"

"It seems that someone was in the room after closing time."

"Impossible," the head responded quickly. "Everyone checked out. I can confirm that. I checked the computer. I'm sure of it."

"But at 7 o'clock, according to the cameras, Dr. Padilla was in this room."

The head peered closely at the small screen, her dark eyebrows knit together.

"Hold on. Go back a bit. Yes, yes. That's it. What the _hell _is she doing?"

The head's eyes widened with surprised and disbelief as she watched the tech work away at the computers, erasing everything that they had worked so hard to get a hold of, all of their studies, researches, data.

"She _wouldn't_," she whispered in disbelief. She shook her head. Sylvia was one of the best—she could get into everything, hack any website, and crash anything. She had promised that she wouldn't let _it_ get in the way. She had _promised._

She snapped the laptop shut and slowly lifted her head. The guard gulped when he saw her red cheeks, her set jaw, her fiery eyes.

"Send in every single man we have. Get her here. _Now."_

"But ma'am is it really necessary to send _all _of our men just for one person?"

"I said _now,_" she said, her voice coming out like a snarl.

"Yes ma'am. Immediately." The guard turned on his heel and hurriedly left the room.

"Unbelievable," the head muttered to herself, slowly shaking her head. "Just… unbelievable."

* * *

**All I have to say is: "You can't stop me, mothafucka, 'cause I'm on a boat!"**


	17. Chapter 17

To my devoted reader/fan of "In The Dark",

I'm so glad you like my story (ies) enough to put up with me and still send in reviews.

Thank you very much for that.

Before you say anything about the long hiatus, I will hopefully be coming back very soon. I have pretty much had the worst year of my life and hopefully 2011 will be better for me. It's one of my biggest New Year's resolutions: To get my butt back on FF and WRITE SOMETHING. I haven't been able to write for a long time, so I'm giving myself a month (January) to re-read the MR books, write a couple of samples, do some writing exercises, to get back on track, because I don't want to come back and write a chapter that is unlike my usual writing style.

In February, the 7th book is coming out, so I MIGHT wait for that.

So, overall, sometime towards the middle of February, you will get new chapters (with less AN's).

Thank you so very much for putting up with me and 6 months without any news.

I respect you all so much for that.

The Winged Wonder.

(Also, those who got these in their inboxes, please disregard it. I had to post this as a chapter because I wanted the reader's who didn't allow PMing to be aware of this also.)


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